Into Darkness
by Dark Merlyn
Summary: Set shortly after Kingdom Hearts. The Heartless have returned and Sora is nowhere to be found. The task is left to Riku, who, with the help of some unlikely allies, must journey into the very core of Kingdom Hearts and unlock a power that could well be th


Kingdom Hearts Fic Into Darkness Dark Merlyn  
  
A/N: It is very important I give credit to Lady Blackmour for coming up with the idea of the idea of the Arbiter. I modified it so that there's one for each element. I'm a huge fan of her writing and I encourage everyone who enjoys this story to read her's.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Darkness. Always darkness. No light penetrated his prison. But he had grown accustomed to it. His eyes never opened anymore and he had long since lost the need to see. After all, there was precious little to see. He didn't need food or drink. Sleep for him was no more than an escape from his black little world. But he slept rarely, very rarely.  
  
Because when he slept, the dreams came.  
  
Always about a boy with silver hair. And his eyes. Like twin embers of fire. He wielded a giant wicked looking key. And his face. So foreign, but so tantalizingly familiar.  
  
He had no idea who that boy was. But he understood the dream's significance. The boy wielded a key. Perhaps it was the key to his prison.  
  
Perhaps it was the key to his soul.  
  
***  
  
"Aw, Leooooon! You promised we could go shopping today!" Twenty three year old Yuffie Kisaragi was literally bouncing in her small room in Traverse Town. An annoyed groan answered her from the door.  
  
"Go with Aerith. She never minded shopping with you." The voice belonged to twenty six year old Leon. No last name. Just Leon. Always...Leon.  
  
"Ever since Cloud came back, all Aerith has been doing is spending time with him! Pleeeeeeease...."  
  
"No." With that parting remark, Leon shouldered his gunblade and descended the steps. Yuffie scowled at his retreating back.  
  
"Jerk."  
  
***  
  
"Where...am I?" Riku slowly picked himself off the ground and groaned aloud. He stood all alone in inky blackness. A single spotlight shone on him.  
  
You are here  
  
Riku turned around in surprise. "Who said that?! Show yourself!"  
  
I am here. All around you.  
  
"Who are you?!"  
  
Kingdom Hearts.  
  
"What? How can that be? Where are all the Heartless?!"  
  
Patience, Keymaster. The Heartless are not important at this moment. You are. You have yet to play your most important role in this war.  
  
"And what role would that be?"  
  
You must unlock the final piece of the puzzle  
  
The resonant voice spoke no more. As Riku watched, his body began to glow with an unearthly yellow light. He shouted in surprise, before realizing the light was not burning him.  
  
"What's going on?" A thin beam of light exploded from his chest and fired into the darkness.  
  
Follow the light of your heart. It will guide you to one who needs your aid.  
  
Riku threw his hands up in resignation. "Got nothing better to do." He began to walk in the direction of the light.  
  
***  
  
Screams echoed through Traverse Town as a huge rip opened in its permanently dark sky. Strange new Heartless began to fall, as prodigious as rain, onto the cobblestones. These Heartless were taller, with well defined muscles and malicious glowing yellow eyes. They leapt forward and began to rip apart the town.  
  
A little girl screamed as she tripped and fell to the ground, skidding for a few seconds. She screeched in terror as a Heartless stood over her, ready to rip her apart. As the Heartless slashed at her, its body suddenly split in two. It lost all definition and splashed onto the ground as a pool of inky blackness. The girl sniffled loudly and looked up, wide- eyed at her rescuer. Leon hefted his gunblade and looked around.  
  
"Head to Cid's shop. Run. Now." The girl nodded and scampered away as Leon roared loudly and sliced apart another Heartless. All around, his friend battled. He watched as Cloud ripped off his cape to reveal a single devil wing and a thin spade-tipped tail. He lifted his huge sword and took off, flying parallel to the ground. His blade bashed through a horde of Heartless, which transformed into puddles. Slowly, they stemmed the tide of Heartless that raced from the portal. As the last of the Heartless was destroyed, the portal abruptly closed and disappeared. Yuffie and Aerith raced over to Cloud and Leon, who could barely stand, so tired after the fight. Aerith began to mumble a chant and waved her arms around the two men. Instantly they felt themselves renewed and revitalized. Both of them favored an uncharacteristic smile on the statuesque flower girl. She blushed slightly and busied herself with tending their wounds. Meanwhile, Yuffie was hopping from one foot to another in confusion.  
  
"How'd they get back here? I thought Traverse Town was safe!" Leon looked at her before stared at the sky that had, moments ago, held the rip that led the Heartless into his home.  
  
***  
  
Riku followed the light for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the light stopped, giving him a clear view of...darkness. Riku was furious.  
  
"What a fucking waste! I walked all that way for...nothing?" A door of light had materialized in front of him. He looked at it suspiciously.  
  
Go.  
  
Riku nodded woodenly and stepped through the door. He was momentarily bathed in light before entering a town that never saw the light of day.  
  
***  
  
Leon's mouth hung open as he watched another, much smaller rip open up literally right in front of him. From its black depths stepped a young boy with silvery hair. He looked around in surprise and confusion.  
  
"Where am I?" His gaze stopped as he registered the gunblade pointed inches from his throat "Ummm...can you not point that thing at me?" The gunblade did not waver as Leon scrutinized the stranger.  
  
"Who are you? How did you get here?" The boy inched back slowly, eyes locked on the gunblade.  
  
"My name's Riku. And as to why I am here, I couldn't tell you." Leon lifted up his gunblade, completely taken aback by the answer.  
  
"You're Riku? Did Sora find you?" Instantly Riku's eyes narrowed and his focus shifted to Leon's eyes.  
  
"You know Sora?! Have you seen him?!" Leon shook his head sadly.  
  
"Not since he left to Hollow Bastion to battle the Heartless." Riku nodded.  
  
"I see. He's probably back home then. Too bad I have to finish up this goddamn task before I can go home."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Haven't you seen the Heartless?"  
  
"Yeah. We just repelled an attack. I thought Traverse Town was safe! How the hell are they getting back here?!"  
  
"I'm sorry. I don't have answers for you." He turned to leave, but was stopped by Leon's blade.  
  
"You're going to fight the Heartless, aren't you?" Riku nodded numbly. "I'm coming also."  
  
"I will as well." Cloud had replaced his cape and made his way to Riku' side. Riku looked at Cloud searchingly.  
  
"It's you. You're the reason I'm here. You're like me." Their eyes met.  
  
"Perhaps I am..." Their conversation was interrupted by another dimensional rip opening next to Riku.  
  
"Well, that's our ride. Let's go." He turned and disappeared into the blackness. Leon moved o follow, but was stopped by Cloud.  
  
"No. You stay and protect Traverse Town. You cannot follow where we are going."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"Because your heart is pure. Mine carries the taint of the Heartless." And he turned and disappeared into the portal as well. The portal shut with an abrupt snap, leaving no evidence of its presence.  
  
"Good luck, Cloud."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
A portal opened by the Olympic Coliseum, depositing Riku and Cloud onto the sandy grounds before disappearing. They heard muffled hoof beats as a small and plump satyr waddled over to them.  
  
"Welcome! Welcome! Can I interest you in some tickets...You!" Cloud turned and looked down on Phil, giving him a grim, humorless smile.  
  
"Me." His young companion shouldered past him and addressed Phil.  
  
"We need to see someone." Understanding flickered in Phil's eyes.  
  
"Well, Herc's kinda busy right now, but for the right price I can give you an autographed vase..."  
  
"Not Hercules."  
  
"Then who?" Riku bent down and whispered in Phil's ear. Phil's face turned a pasty white and he began to tremble.  
  
"Hi...him? You sure?" Riku nodded. Phil waved them forward, opening a small trapdoor and descending down a flight of steps. Under the coliseum was chained a demon. Even covered in every binding, magical or technological, and rendered completely helpless, his name still inspired terror into the hearts of even the most courageous men.  
  
"Sephiroth..."  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Even encased in chains that fettered his muscled body, Sephiroth was still a force to be feared. That was why Phil streaked off as soon as he led Riku and Cloud to his cell. Riku gazed into a face so similar to his own. Sephiroth fixed his gaze first on Cloud. He laughed, an altogether unpleasant noise. When he spoke, his voice came out in a strong tenor voice, full of pain and sorrow.  
  
"So the puppet returns..." Cloud roared in anger and lunged at Sephiroth.  
  
"I AM NOT A PUPPET!" He screamed as thousands of volts of electricity flooded his system on contact with the metal cell bars. Runes carved around the door exploded with light and fired deadly spells at Cloud. He expertly dodged the first wave, but was caught in the chest by the second barrage. Time seemed to slow as Cloud watched in horror as a blue beam the size of his forearm raced toward him. All of a sudden, Riku was standing over him. He calmly lifted his hand and the beams stopped firing. The runes lost their unearthly glow and faded away. Both beings stared at Riku, utterly bewildered. Sephiroth locked gazes with the young Keymaster and was instantly lost in a swirl of emotion. His hair, his face, even his body were a miniature of Sephiroth himself. Even his eyes glowed with the same magical fire. Sephiroth's mouth hung open as a single silver tear dripped down his face.  
  
"You've grown so much..." He shook his face quickly, once again reverting to his calm, emotionless state. Riku failed to catch his short, swift emotional outburst and plunged straight to business.  
  
"Here's the deal. I need your help. If you help us out, I'll free you." Sephiroth began to laugh. Quietly at first, but it grew louder and more raucous. Riku raised an eyebrow and had to wonder whether all those years of imprisonment had unhinged his mind. Sephiroth was howling now, the chains clanking together as he shook.  
  
"You...honestly think you could open this door? The door even I, the most powerful being in existence, could not open." Riku smiled and calmly covered the keyhole with his hand. A bright green light erupted from his palm, molded into the shape of a key and fit itself inside the lock. The door creaked loudly, swinging open on rusty hinges. The powerful fetters shattered and fell to the floor in a small rain. Sephiroth's mouth hung open as he walked, dumbfounded, from his former prison. He stopped and looked down at his young rescuer. "Fine. I'll fight." A large black portal opened up next to him, which Riku promptly walked into. "Wait." He walked briskly over to a huge cabinet and punched a hole into it, withdrawing a lengthy katana that shimmered in the grim darkness. He hefted the Masamune over his shoulder and walked back to the portal. "Let's go." The three warriors of darkness walked into the portal and disappeared from view, leaving a creaking cell door as the only evidence of their passage.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The trio found themselves flying in a seemingly endless void, filled with stars and strange colors. Riku turned to Sephiroth and Cloud and began to speak.  
  
"We're bypassing Hollow Bastion and heading straight to Kingdom Hearts. Our objective is not to fight the Heartless. I need you to hold off the Heartless while I open his door."  
  
"Whose?"  
  
"The person who can shut the Heartless away forever." Riku's wicked looking keyblade appeared out of thin air. He grasped the hilt and turned resolutely to watch as their destination fast approached them.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The portal opened into complete darkness. The light of the three warriors' souls shimmered in the oppressive blackness. The lights exposed their foes: Heartless...as far as the eye could see. Their glowing yellow eyes glittered maliciously as they stalked about. Riku closed his eyes and pointed his keyblade forward.  
  
"There. Carve me a path in that direction." Cloud and Sephiroth leapt forward, attacking the Heartless with a wild abandon. Cloud roared as massive blade cut a huge swath through the Heartless. He leapt forward and kept attacking.  
  
"Go!" Riku needed no further encouragement and raced forward along the path. As he ran forward, a huge Heartless leapt at him. Riku moved slowly, unable to bring his keyblade to bear in time. He watched in horror as the huge scaly talons cut the air and dropped down on him. The Heartless gave a loud shriek as its body separated into two pieces. Riku looked up. Standing above him, like a guardian angel, Sephiroth attacked, slicing Heartless left and right. His body moved with a grace and fluidity Riku had never seen before. The Masamune seemed an extension of his arm as he destroyed dozens of Heartless with each stroke. He locked gazes with Riku for a moment. His icy demeanor seemed to melt for a moment as he gazed at Riku with a strange fondness. He turned his head and became the warrior again, obliterating the Heartless. Riku watched, fascinated for a moment before returning to the task at hand. He sensed the prison only a bit farther away and sprinted to it. A huge door of battered steel suddenly materialized in the darkness. As the door appeared, hundreds of Heartless leapt at him. Riku dove for the door and smashed the point of his keyblade into it, turning it swiftly. A huge shockwave blasted him off his feet as the door exploded from its hinges. Blue light erupted from the opening and spilled all over, chasing away the darkness and burning away the remaining Heartless. From within stepped out a young man. His raven black hair covered his face and obscured one eye. The other eye was a stormy gray. He was dressed in black armor with a flowing black trenchcoat. At the moment, his entire body was alive with lightning. Blue motes crackled along gloved hands and booted feet. His eyes were lost in more bright lightning as every pore seems to radiate light. He screamed loudly and his body exploded, burning away all the darkness and throwing Riku violently back. The last thing he saw was a dazzling light before everything went black.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Riku, wake up!  
  
Dammit, boy! I did not find you after all those years only to have you taken away from me!  
  
WAKE UP!  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Riku opened bleary eyes to find himself in a soft, downy bed.  
  
"Where...am I?" A muffled squeak answered his question as the young black haired ninja burst into the room.  
  
"He's awake! Leeeeeeeeeooooooooooooon! Clooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuud!" Riku covered his ears with his hands, willing the shrieking banshee to disappear. Yuffie turned to him and squealed. "Ooh, sorry about that. You've probably got a serious head." Oh boy, did he ever. "Here, take this." She handed him a potion which Riku gratefully took and gulped it down. Instantly the throbbing faded to only a dull ache, before disappearing entirely.  
  
"Thanks," Riku managed to offer in a slightly scratchy voice.  
  
"Well, well. The hero finally awakens." Cloud and Leon stepped through the small door. Riku finally noticed Sephiroth leaning against one of the nearby walls. At the sight of the new arrivals, he made an annoyed noise and exited the door. He reappeared instantly, propelled by the mysterious warrior.  
  
"My thanks to you, Keymaster. My name is Azrael."  
  
"The Angel of Light." Azrael grinned.  
  
"No, that's my sister. She's been a bit bitchy lately so it's a good thing you didn't ask for her help." Riku was thoroughly confused.  
  
"So, you're an angel?"  
  
"Not quite. I am the Arbiter of Lightning, one of Nine. Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Metal, Sound, Shadow and Lightning. Sounds a bit archaic, I know. I probably sound like some crazy priest preaching judgment day." He chuckled a bit before sobering. "Anyway, I want to thank you for rescuing me. The Heartless imprisoned me and locked away my powers. I eventually grew so weak that I nearly died. So with the last of my power, I compelled you to come aid me."  
  
"Are the Heartless...dead?" Azrael smiled.  
  
"Wiped out of existence, my dear boy. My thanks to you. You're quite the hero." Riku blushed.  
  
"I didn't..."  
  
"Learn to accept both criticism and compliments in stride, boy." He smiled again. "Well, I must be off. I'll keep in touch." With that, he turned on his head and headed back toward the door, stopping by Sephiroth. He turned his head and whispered into the dark warrior's ear. "You should be very proud of him. The rest of us can take care of things for a while. For a little while at least, you don't have to be the Arbiter of Shadow. Just be a father." He grinned and disappeared in a flash of light. Sephiroth smiled.  
  
"As capricious as ever, big brother."  
  
THE END  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
A/N: This took a while, I know. I might write a sequel, I might not. You'll just have to wait and see. Please read and review me X-Men Evo stories also. Until next time...  
  
Sayonara,  
  
Dark Merlyn 


End file.
